"Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen -- who really enjoys this overproduced crappy glop?

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everyone knows that the american musician that elvis costello most resembles (nowadays at least) is billy joel, not bruce springsteen. we've even had threads on this insight!

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Saturday, 8 January 2005 03:34 (twenty-one years ago)

though to be fair, springsteen "discovered" burt bacharach before elvis costello did (it was called tunnel of love).

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Saturday, 8 January 2005 03:38 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost:
Shakey Mo and amateurist, I think you owe me an apology. But Shakey, since 95% of your posts are so otm, and since amateurist, I admire your hopeless romantic quest to untangle all the tangled prose in the Universal Library of Rockcrit, I'll let it go this time.

― Ken L (Ken L), Saturday, 8 January 2005 03:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Repost of the Elvis Costello melody maker link ( so it's not pointing to the google cache!)
http://www.elviscostello.info/articles/m/melody_maker.770625a.html

― Ken L (Ken L), Saturday, 8 January 2005 06:30 (twenty-one years ago)

What an unpleasant little man.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Saturday, 8 January 2005 06:41 (twenty-one years ago)

i like "brilliant disguise"

― hstencil (hstencil), Saturday, 8 January 2005 06:50 (twenty-one years ago)

nate, I am going to assume you are talking about Punch The Clock Costello. In any case I apologize to Alex for ruining his thread with all this rubbish.

― Ken L (Ken L), Saturday, 8 January 2005 07:58 (twenty-one years ago)

what am i apologizing to you for?

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Saturday, 8 January 2005 08:46 (twenty-one years ago)

In any case I apologize to Alex for ruining his thread with all this rubbish.

Oh please. Like I haven't ruined other peoples' threads before? `Tis the way of ILX.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Saturday, 8 January 2005 08:48 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost:
Nothing. I was just fooling around.

― Ken L (Ken L), Saturday, 8 January 2005 14:02 (twenty-one years ago)

though to be fair, springsteen "discovered" burt bacharach before elvis costello did (it was called tunnel of love).

but, um, costello was covering bacharach in the '70s. see "i just don't know what to do with myself" from live stiffs (1978). or "baby it's you" from a few years later.

as for tunnel of love -- what exactly does that have to do with bacharach?

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Saturday, 8 January 2005 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, Costello (at least in that interview) seems pretty gripey and obnoxious.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Saturday, 8 January 2005 19:28 (twenty-one years ago)

he was 22!!

― Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Saturday, 8 January 2005 21:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah, the "young and stupid" defense.

― What's this place, Biblevania? (natepatrin), Saturday, 8 January 2005 22:36 (twenty-one years ago)

OK, I got an idea. For any further discussion of this guy, revive one of the nineteen extant threads about him. Like this one: Is Elvis Costello rock?

― Ken L (Ken L), Sunday, 9 January 2005 04:50 (twenty-one years ago)

seven months pass...

revive! agreeing-with-alex-in-nyc shockah! the overwrought vocals, the ridiculous saxophone! the exclamation points!

― marc h. (marc h.), Thursday, 1 September 2005 00:48 (twenty years ago)

I agree too. I was always perplexed and somewhat bothered by the disconnect between Springsteen's working-class-hero status and the fact that all his E Street Band anthems embody the worst of 80s mainstream production excess (stupid synths, horrible gated drum sound, icky saxophone soloing). Even his famed Telecaster is rendered completely toothless on most of this stuff.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Thursday, 1 September 2005 00:57 (twenty years ago)

B-b-but this is from '75 (and doesn't feature synths IIRC).

― Sundar (sundar), Thursday, 1 September 2005 01:04 (twenty years ago)

Fantastic song.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 1 September 2005 01:36 (twenty years ago)

God, this song rules.

― internet comedy novice (Matt Chesnut), Thursday, 1 September 2005 02:02 (twenty years ago)

Even his famed Telecaster is rendered completely toothless on most of this stuff.

True in the studio stuff. But live is another story. There's an absolutely blistering solo on "Because The Night" on the famous Cleveland boot from 1975 (or is it '78? Can't recall...). I was taken aback first time I heard it since you don't really encounter anything close to that sound on his studio output. But the guy can really turn it up a notch when he's on stage.

― PB, Thursday, 1 September 2005 02:20 (twenty years ago)

Alex in nyc is a fuckin MORON.BTR rules.GREAT instrumental interlude
with semitones goin UP and dowwwwn.

Maybe a fembot fudge-packing faggot like alex in nyc
would prefer Frankie goes to hollywood's
version...

― Anti-Alexinnyc, Thursday, 1 September 2005 03:39 (twenty years ago)

RELAX

― internet comedy novice (Matt Chesnut), Thursday, 1 September 2005 03:43 (twenty years ago)

True in the studio stuff. But live is another story.

I haven't heard much Bruce live but this sounds entirely right...

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Thursday, 1 September 2005 06:35 (twenty years ago)

So has anybody hear ever heard Sprinsteen's pre-debut-album alleged metal band, Steel Town or Steel Factory or whatever the hell they were called? I just finished a great book on the history of Asbury Park itself, and Springsteen's own early history figured prominently, so I'm kind of intrigued. Did they sound like the first Iron City Houserockers album or Thin Lizzy or something? I sure hope so. But maybe they just sucked.

― xhuxk, Thursday, 1 September 2005 18:03 (twenty years ago)

Je regret rien.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 1 September 2005 21:16 (twenty years ago)

Je NE regret rien.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 1 September 2005 21:55 (twenty years ago)

Moi non plus.

― k/l (Ken L), Thursday, 1 September 2005 22:03 (twenty years ago)

TS Bruce Springsteen vs. Edith Piaf.

― k/l (Ken L), Thursday, 1 September 2005 22:03 (twenty years ago)

Springsteen vs Johnny Holliday

― gear (gear), Thursday, 1 September 2005 22:15 (twenty years ago)

this song is incredible. sometimes overproduction works.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Friday, 2 September 2005 01:09 (twenty years ago)

At least you're admitting it's overproduced.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 2 September 2005 01:43 (twenty years ago)

TS: Overproduced crap vs. underproduced crap vs. produced crap?

― PB, Friday, 2 September 2005 01:45 (twenty years ago)

three months pass...

the best DJ set I saw this year? the avalanches, last week at the meredith festival. the last song? "born to run". it was AMAZING.

― haitch (haitch), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 03:00 (twenty years ago)

I love the live DVD w/the 30th Anniversary box, my first real glimpse of him live, and yeah, I get it now.

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 03:19 (twenty years ago)

the u.k. show where he's rockin' the hat? that's great stuff. and that last hbo live concert that they showed was great too. he can move a crowd. no doubt. from then to now. you do have to kind of see that stuff to really get it. not that the albums are bad or anything...

― scott seward (scott seward), Tuesday, 20 December 2005 03:27 (twenty years ago)

two years pass...

such a brilliant song...the production is awesome and really helps the song...that "1, 2, 3, 4" move takes my breath away every single time

― Tape Store, Friday, 28 March 2008 05:30 (eighteen years ago)

^^^. Fuck the haters, once the "1,2,3,4" comes in I start hollering "The highway's jammed with broken heroes on a last chance power drive!"

― youcangoyourownway, Friday, 28 March 2008 05:41 (eighteen years ago)

Jersey Schmuck anthem, "Born to Run."

not all of us New Jerseyans like Springsteen very much, you know!

― Eisbaer, Friday, 28 March 2008 06:31 (eighteen years ago)

then there's this from upthread:

he prospect of being compared to Springsteen, whose panavision scenarios - replete with so much obvious romantic, rock-mythology imagery of a kind quite antithetical to Costello's writing - fills Elvis with anguish and dread. "Springsteen always romanticising the f----- street," he complains, with no little justification. "I'm bored with people who romanticise the f------- street. The street isn't f--------- attractive.

this almost makes springsteen sound proto-gangsta ... though i guess that the first 2 springsteen albums have a sort of almost wu-tang vibe to them (if you squint your ears a bit).

― Eisbaer, Friday, 28 March 2008 06:34 (eighteen years ago)

Album's overproduced, yeah, but Springsteen & The E-Street Band live 1978-1979 = A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

― StanM, Friday, 28 March 2008 06:39 (eighteen years ago)

I'd still like to know what Tunnel of Love has to do with Bacharach.

And yeah, Springsteen winning non-fans over in a live setting is no news.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Friday, 28 March 2008 07:45 (eighteen years ago)

And leave Costello alone. You'd think he'd dissed Robyn or something.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Friday, 28 March 2008 09:11 (eighteen years ago)

Because it's so much more "street" to only release your new album on vinyl and digital format and name it after a "chic" restaurant in New York that ~~Diana~~ Elvis can afford to eat at, innit?

Note also that he has been reduced to supporting the Police on their next (NEXT?) tour. That wouldn't have happened back in '78.

― Dingbod Kesterson, Friday, 28 March 2008 11:41 (eighteen years ago)

I don't understand how anything as muddy-sounding as this album could be labelled as "overproduced".

I actually have a problem with the production here for the completely opposite reason.

― Geir Hongro, Friday, 28 March 2008 13:40 (eighteen years ago)

Born To Run sounds nothing like Mud.

― Dingbod Kesterson, Friday, 28 March 2008 13:41 (eighteen years ago)

He meant mudvayne

― filthy dylan, Friday, 28 March 2008 13:50 (eighteen years ago)

Beautiful song.

― dell, Friday, 28 March 2008 16:51 (eighteen years ago)

one month passes...

Sometimes, this is the best record ever made, by anyone. This is one of those times.

― Matt DC, Monday, 5 May 2008 02:53 (eighteen years ago)

one of the crappiest records of all-time. overproduced tuneless ballads and there is also something about springsteen's voice i don't like at all here.

― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 5 May 2008 12:17 (eighteen years ago)

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